The Fleeting Beauty of Women
The work is named after its eponymous heroine Amelia. Consequently, a great part of it is concerned with her womanhood, and the way with which she was perceived by other people. Describing her, her husband, for instance, says that he knew her, “in the first dawn of her beauty” which symbolically joins women’s beauty and charms with the imagery of a fleeting moment; a cycle of 24hours, which ending might annihilate the woman’s value even in her husband’s eyes.
Women as a Possession
Throughout the text, women are repeatedly referred to as a possession of men. The character of Amelia, herself, is coupled with the imagery of ownership. The following quotes are few of the many instances, in which, she was considered as a thing rather than a human being,
“He made me many compliments on the possession of a woman who, joined to the most exquisite beauty…”
“…prevented my aspiring at the possession of those charms which seemed so absolutely out of my reach”
“…the tumultuous delight of which the approaching hour of possessing her filled my heart”
The Colors of Man
In the text, the imagery of colors is used to convey the complex nature of human psychology and human behavior. Colors are adopted to indicate the feelings and emotions of some characters, and the doubts and behavior of others. They allow the reader to understand the variety among human beings, and even the complexity of the phases of growth of the same individual. One such instance of the use of color imagery is the following quote,
“…though I was indeed innocent, there was surely color enough to suspect the contrary”.
The Mastered Master
The imagery of mastery in the book is often coupled with the opposite concept of being mastered. “I was now no longer master of myself,” or “so foolishly did I imagine I could be master of a flame to which I was everyday adding fuel” are but few examples of the use of this term with its opposite conception. The objective of such paradoxical imagery is to convey the psychological foundation of men in a patriarchal society. Men considered themselves and were perceived by others as masters in society. However, this is an illusion based on a deficient social construct, and consequently the masters often found themselves in situations, where they were mastered instead of being masters.
